Screw driver



June 9, 1953 J. A.-s|GG SCREW DRIVER Filed Oct. 18, 1947 2- Sheets-Sheet 1 6 AIII Rig 4 INVENTOR.

. I BY Ila/ 2 NJ MAM Rig. 8 u

Patented June 9, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SCREW DRIVER Joseph A. Sigg, Pittsburgh, Pa.

Application October 18, 1947, Serial No. 780,635

3 Claims. (01. 279-23) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in screw drivers, and the present application is a continuation-in-part of an application serially numbered 622,590, filed by me October 16, 1945, now abandoned.

It is among the objects of the invention to provide screw drivers in which the shank of the screw driver cooperates with a handle member in a manner to reverse the shank to make available different screw driver bits.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a screw driver of the above designated character in which the handle portion is provided with tongues and slots for interacting with a complementary shaped portion of the screw driver bit shank.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide screw drivers of the above designated character in which friction means are provided for maintaining the relative position of the screw driver bit shank and handle while in use and yet permit the removal of the bit without manipulation of any locking means.

.The invention will become more apparent from a consideration of the accompanying drawings, constituting a part hereof, in which like reference characters designate like parts, and in which Fig. 1 is a front elevational View, partially in section, of a screw driver embodying the principles of this invention;

Fig. 2 a cross sectional View thereof. taken along the line 2-2, Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 a front elevational view of the screw driver of Fig. 1 showing the portion of the shank extending from the handle which is shown inside of the handle in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 a front elevational view of the screw driver bit and shank employed in the structures of Figs. 1, 2 and 3;

Fig. 5 a cross sectional view, partially in elevation, taken along the line 5-5, Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 a front elevational view, partially in section, of a modified form of screw driver bit and handle;

Fig. 7 a front elevational view of the screw driver shank and bits;

Fig. 8 a front elevational view of another form of screw driver shank and handle;

Fig. 9 a cross sectional view taken along the line 9-9, Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 an end elevational view taken along the line l0l0, Fig. 7;

Fig. 11 a front elevational view partially in section of a modified form of screw driver with a part of the shank broken away; and

section as shown in Fig. 9, the tongues 23 being Fig. 12 a cross sectional view thereof along the line l2-|2, Fig. 11.

With reference to Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive of the drawings the numeral I designates a hollow screw driver handle of wood, plastic or other material having flutes or grooves 2 and having a neck portion 3. The handle is hollow and 'fiuted at 4, as shown in Fig. 2, and is provided with arcs of circles 5, which flutes and arcs are complementary in shape to the tongues and grooves 6 and 1, respectively, of the screw driver shank. They mayhave a frictional engagement to hold the screw driver shank in working relation with the handle portion, but not necessarily so because of the provision of spring-like members if that are secured toa radial fiange 9 of the screw driver handle by overlappin straps Ii) that fit 1n notches H of the handle member. As is apparent from the shape of the spring members 8, they are not readily distorted and exert great friction or. pressureon the shank of the screw driver.

[n the form shown in Figs. 1 to 5, the screw driver shank, generally-designated by the numeral I2, is provided with bits I3 and Id at opposite ends, known as the Phillips type of bit, and s provided with a shoulder 15 dividing the shank into a long and a short part, either end of which may be inserted in the handle portion to make either a short or long screw driver as shown in Figs. 1 and 3 respectively.

.As shown in Fig. 5', the notches H in the flange end 9 of the handle are disposed intermediate the fiutes 4 of the handle whereby the spring elements 8 frictionally engage the tongues B of the shank.

With reference to Figs. 6 to 10 inclusive of the drawing, the screw driver shank I6 is provided with the Phillips type bit I l and a fiat screw slot bit I8, the latter being more clearly shown in Figs. 7 and 10. The shank may be reversed to make the bits interchangeable for use in either type of screw driver, the iiuting of the handle and shank and the frictional engagement of the latter by the spring-like members 8 being the same as shown in connection with Figs. 1 to 5 of the drawings.

In the form of screw driver shown in Figs. 8 and 9, the shank 19, while bein tongued and fluted as in the other designs, is provided with different size screw slot bits 20- and 2| so that when reversed in the handle portion 22 the screw driver has the utility of two sizes of screw driver bits. Also the shank I 9 is of a difierent cross taken 3 like those shown at 6 in Figs. 1 to inclusive, but instead of the flutes I the shank is provided with relatively wide tongues 24, the handle portion being complementary shaped for receiving that type of shank.

Also in the screw driver of Fig. 8, the spring engaging elements are S-shaped as shown at 25, but otherwise the attachment by the strap like members I0 to the flanged end 9 is as previously explained; I

In the construction of screw driver's shown in Figs. 11 and 12, the handle 26 may be constructed similar to that of the remaining figures of the drawing and the cross section of the shank -Z-l may be similar as appears from Fig. 12. It differs, however, from the other structures'iii that rubber, in the form of a premolded-grip zli engages the flange 29 and is constricted to engage the tongued and fluted surfaces of the-"screw driver bit 38 as shown in Fig. 12.

The; utility of the screw -'-.drivers rQf-the'atype disclosed in the several-figures of'thedrawings is apparent from their design in that-they. provide for interchangeability :o-f different. screw driver shanks or different ends of the'same shank having-"difierent bits or*-to provide different lengths of-shanks. Bymeans otthe construction shown'the shank and: handle portion are interlocked against turning i the full length oi the :shankportion that iis inserted in the 'handle, thereby eliminating wear'on' the "interactingsurfaces of the shank andzhandle and providing a strong rigid construction,

hits, a handle portion therefor and clamping means at the inner end of the handle portion comprising a sheet metal member having crimped ends interacting with a shoulder of the handle portion and having looped ends constituting spring members for yieldingly engaging the body of the screw driver, said clamping means having 2. depending body portion of the shape of the screw driver shank for receiving the screw driver shank.

2. "In a screw "driver, a hollow handle portion having sockets spaced ninety degrees and extending the full length of the hollow portion for receiving tongue of a screw driver shank, and

By means'ofthe springw structure interlockingly mounted on the flange portion ofthe handle and trictionally engaging the shank 'of' the- =-s-crew drivers, they will notdrop out even'though'there is 1 .no other frictional engagementbetween the shank "and handle port-ion. '1 he eonstruetion-oi the spring grip is' sueh' as tenet interfere with theremovalorinsertion ofthe sorew drl-ver shank in the handle portion and are of such shape' that they willnot be readily dis'torted from handling or mingling with the 'other toold in a tool ches-t.

Although-several embodiments of 'theinvention have been herein illustrated and described it willbe apparent to-those skilled --"1i"1="the*art that various modifieations may be'maae inthe details-=of constructionwithout-departing" from thaprinciples herein s'et' forth.

I claim: 1 lsl'n a screw-driver having interchangeable clamping means at the inner end of the handle p'orti'on comprising a sheet metal member having crimped ends interacting with a shoulder of the handle portion and having looped ends constituting resilient means for engaging the body of the screw driver.

' 3. In a" screw driver forinterchangeable bits, ahandle having a hollow interior, the inner wall ofwhich is-provided with tongues and; grooves 'the'filll' length of the wall for engaging thecomplementary shaped shankof a screw driver bit, saidihandle' havingspring-means with rounded surfaces for grippingly engaging the tongues of the screw driver shank.

JOSEPH A. $IGG.

7 References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES" PATENTS 

